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The Shunammite’s Son Raised
18 The child grew and one day went out to his father and the harvesters.(A) 19 Suddenly he complained to his father, “My head! My head!”
His father told his servant, “Carry him to his mother.” 20 So he picked him up and took him to his mother. The child sat on her lap until noon and then died. 21 She went up and laid him on the bed of the man of God, shut him in, and left.
22 She summoned her husband and said, “Please send me one of the servants and one of the donkeys, so I can hurry to the man of God and come back again.”
23 But he said, “Why go to him today? It’s not a New Moon or a Sabbath.”(B)
She replied, “It’s all right.”(C)
24 Then she saddled the donkey and said to her servant, “Go fast; don’t slow the pace for me unless I tell you.” 25 So she came to the man of God at Mount Carmel.(D)
When the man of God saw her at a distance, he said to his attendant Gehazi,(E) “Look, there’s the Shunammite woman.(F) 26 Run out to meet her and ask, ‘Are you all right? Is your husband all right? Is your son all right?’”
And she answered, “It’s all right.”
27 When she came up to the man of God at the mountain, she clung to his feet.(G) Gehazi came to push her away, but the man of God said, “Leave her alone—she is in severe anguish,(H) and the Lord has hidden it from me. He hasn’t told me.”
28 Then she said, “Did I ask my lord for a son? Didn’t I say, ‘Do not lie to me?’” (I)
29 So Elisha said to Gehazi, “Tuck your mantle(J) under your belt, take my staff with you, and go. If you meet anyone, don’t stop to greet him, and if a man greets you, don’t answer him.(K) Then place my staff on the boy’s face.”
30 The boy’s mother said to Elisha, “As the Lord lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.”(L) So he got up and followed her.
31 Gehazi went ahead of them and placed the staff on the boy’s face, but there was no sound or sign of life, so he went back to meet Elisha and told him, “The boy didn’t wake up.”(M)
32 When Elisha got to the house, he discovered the boy lying dead on his bed.(N) 33 So he went in, closed the door behind the two of them, and prayed to the Lord.(O) 34 Then he went up and lay on the boy:(P) he put mouth to mouth, eye to eye, hand to hand. While he bent down over him, the boy’s flesh became warm.(Q) 35 Elisha got up, went into the house, and paced back and forth. Then he went up and bent down over him again. The boy sneezed seven times and opened his eyes.(R)
36 Elisha called Gehazi and said, “Call the Shunammite woman.” He called her and she came. Then Elisha said, “Pick up your son.” 37 She came, fell at his feet, and bowed to the ground; she picked up her son and left.(S)
The Deadly Stew
38 When Elisha returned to Gilgal,(T) there was a famine(U) in the land. The sons of the prophets(V) were sitting before him.(W) He said to his attendant, “Put on the large pot and make stew for the sons of the prophets.”
39 One went out to the field to gather herbs and found a wild vine from which he gathered as many wild gourds as his garment would hold. Then he came back and cut them up into the pot of stew, but they were unaware of what they were.[a]
40 They served some for the men to eat, but when they ate the stew they cried out, “There’s death in the pot,(X) man of God!” And they were unable to eat it.
41 Then Elisha said, “Get some flour.” He threw it into the pot and said, “Serve it for the people to eat.” And there was nothing bad in the pot.(Y)
The Multiplied Bread
42 A man from Baal-shalishah(Z) came to the man of God with his sack full of[b] twenty loaves of barley bread from the first bread of the harvest. Elisha said, “Give it to the people to eat.”(AA)
43 But Elisha’s attendant asked, “What? Am I to set this before a hundred men?” (AB)
“Give it to the people to eat,” Elisha said, “for this is what the Lord says: ‘They will eat, and they will have some left over.’” 44 So he set it before them, and as the Lord had promised, they ate and had some left over.(AC)
Naaman’s Disease Healed
5 Naaman,(AD) commander of the army for the king of Aram, was a man important to his master and highly regarded(AE) because through him, the Lord had given victory to Aram. The man was a valiant warrior, but he had a skin disease.(AF)
2 Aram had gone on raids(AG) and brought back from the land of Israel a young girl who served Naaman’s wife. 3 She said to her mistress, “If only my master were with the prophet who is in Samaria, he would cure him of his skin disease.”
4 So Naaman went and told his master what the girl from the land of Israel had said. 5 Therefore, the king of Aram said, “Go, and I will send a letter with you to the king of Israel.”
So he went and took with him 750 pounds[c] of silver, 150 pounds[d] of gold, and ten sets of clothing.(AH) 6 He brought the letter to the king of Israel, and it read:
When this letter comes to you, note that I have sent you my servant Naaman for you to cure him of his skin disease.
7 When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes(AI) and asked, “Am I God,(AJ) killing and giving life, that this man expects me to cure a man of his skin disease? Recognize[e] that he is only picking a fight with me.”(AK)
8 When Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, he sent a message to the king: “Why have you torn your clothes? Have him come to me, and he will know there is a prophet in Israel.”(AL) 9 So Naaman came with his horses and chariots and stood at the door of Elisha’s house.
10 Then Elisha sent him a messenger,(AM) who said, “Go wash(AN) seven times(AO) in the Jordan and your skin will be restored and you will be clean.”
11 But Naaman got angry and left, saying, “I was telling myself: He will surely come out, stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand(AP) over the place and cure the skin disease. 12 Aren’t Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel?(AQ) Couldn’t I wash in them and be clean?” So he turned and left in a rage.(AR)
13 But his servants approached and said to him, “My father,(AS) if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more should you do it when he only tells you, ‘Wash and be clean’?” 14 So Naaman went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, according to the command of the man of God. Then his skin was restored and became like the skin of a small boy, and he was clean.(AT)
15 Then Naaman and his whole company went back to the man of God, stood before him, and declared, “I know there’s no God in the whole world except in Israel.(AU) Therefore, please accept a gift(AV) from your servant.”
16 But Elisha said, “As the Lord lives,(AW) in whose presence I stand, I will not accept it.”(AX) Naaman urged him to accept it, but he refused.
17 Naaman responded, “If not, please let your servant be given as much soil as a pair of mules can carry,(AY) for your servant will no longer offer a burnt offering or a sacrifice to any other god but the Lord.(AZ) 18 However, in a particular matter may the Lord pardon your servant: When my master, the king of Aram, goes into the temple of Rimmon to bow in worship while he is leaning on my arm,[f](BA) and I have to bow in the temple of Rimmon—when I bow[g] in the temple of Rimmon, may the Lord pardon your servant in this matter.”
19 So he said to him, “Go in peace.”(BB)
Gehazi’s Greed Punished
After Naaman had traveled a short distance from Elisha, 20 Gehazi,(BC) the attendant of Elisha the man of God, thought, “My master has let this Aramean Naaman off lightly by not accepting from him what he brought. As the Lord lives,(BD) I will run after him and get something from him.”
21 So Gehazi pursued Naaman. When Naaman saw someone running after him, he got down from the chariot to meet him and asked, “Is everything all right?”
22 Gehazi said, “It’s all right.(BE) My master has sent me to say, ‘I have just now discovered that two young men from the sons of the prophets have come to me from the hill country of Ephraim. Please give them seventy-five pounds[h] of silver and two sets of clothing.’”(BF)
23 But Naaman insisted, “Please, accept one hundred fifty pounds.”[i] He urged Gehazi and then packed one hundred fifty pounds of silver in two bags with two sets of clothing. Naaman gave them to two of his attendants who carried them ahead of Gehazi. 24 When Gehazi came to the hill,[j](BG) he took the gifts from them and deposited them in the house. Then he dismissed the men, and they left.
25 Gehazi came and stood by his master. “Where did you go, Gehazi?” Elisha asked him.
He replied, “Your servant didn’t go anywhere.”
26 “And my heart didn’t go[k](BH) when the man got down from his chariot to meet you,” Elisha said. “Is this a time to accept silver and clothing, olive orchards and vineyards, flocks and herds, and male and female slaves? 27 Therefore, Naaman’s skin disease will cling to you and your descendants forever.” So Gehazi went out from his presence diseased, resembling snow.[l](BI)
Dispute in Antioch
15 Some men(A) came down from Judea and began to teach the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised(B) according to the custom prescribed by Moses,(C) you cannot be saved.” 2 After Paul and Barnabas had engaged them in serious argument and debate, Paul and Barnabas and some others were appointed to go up to the apostles and elders in Jerusalem about this issue.(D) 3 When they had been sent on their way by the church,(E) they passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and they brought great joy to all the brothers and sisters.
4 When they arrived at Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church, the apostles, and the elders, and they reported all that God had done with them.(F) 5 But some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, “It is necessary to circumcise them and to command them to keep the law of Moses.”
The Jerusalem Council
6 The apostles and the elders gathered to consider this matter. 7 After there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, “Brothers, you are aware that in the early days God made a choice among you,[a] that by my mouth the Gentiles would hear the gospel message and believe. 8 And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he also did to us.(G) 9 He made no distinction between us and them,(H) cleansing their hearts by faith.(I) 10 Now then, why are you testing God by putting a yoke on the disciples’ necks(J) that neither our ancestors nor we have been able to bear? 11 On the contrary, we believe that we are saved through the grace(K) of the Lord Jesus in the same way they are.”
12 The whole assembly became silent and listened to Barnabas and Paul describe all the signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles.(L) 13 After they stopped speaking, James responded, “Brothers, listen to me. 14 Simeon[b] has reported how God first intervened to take from the Gentiles a people for his name.(M) 15 And the words of the prophets agree with this, as it is written:
16 After these things I will return
and rebuild David’s fallen tent.
I will rebuild its ruins
and set it up again,
17 so that the rest of humanity
may seek the Lord—
even all the Gentiles
who are called by my name—
declares the Lord
who makes these things 18 known from long ago.[c][d](N)
19 Therefore, in my judgment, we should not cause difficulties for those among the Gentiles who turn to God, 20 but instead we should write to them to abstain from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality,(O) from eating anything that has been strangled, and from blood. 21 For since ancient times, Moses has had those who proclaim him in every city, and every Sabbath day he is read aloud in the synagogues.”(P)
The Letter to the Gentile Believers
22 Then the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, decided to select men who were among them and to send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas: Judas, called Barsabbas, and Silas,(Q) both leading men among the brothers. 23 They wrote:
“From the apostles and the elders, your brothers,
To the brothers and sisters among the Gentiles in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia:(R)
Greetings.
24 Since we have heard that some without our authorization went out from us(S) and troubled you with their words and unsettled your hearts,[e](T) 25 we have unanimously(U) decided to select men and send them to you along with our dearly loved Barnabas and Paul, 26 who have risked their lives(V) for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 27 Therefore we have sent Judas and Silas, who will personally report the same things by word of mouth. 28 For it was the Holy Spirit’s decision—and ours—not to place further burdens on you beyond these requirements:(W) 29 that you abstain from food offered to idols, from blood, from eating anything that has been strangled, and from sexual immorality.(X) You will do well if you keep yourselves from these things.
Farewell.”
The Outcome of the Jerusalem Letter
30 So they were sent off and went down to Antioch, and after gathering the assembly, they delivered the letter. 31 When they read it, they rejoiced because of its encouragement. 32 Both Judas and Silas, who were also prophets themselves, encouraged the brothers and sisters and strengthened them with a long message.(Y) 33 After spending some time there, they were sent back in peace(Z) by the brothers and sisters to those who had sent them.[f][g] 35 But Paul and Barnabas, along with many others, remained in Antioch, teaching and proclaiming the word of the Lord.(AA)
Psalm 141
Protection from Sin and Sinners
A psalm of David.
1 Lord, I call on you; hurry to help me.
Listen to my voice when I call on you.(A)
2 May my prayer be set before you as incense,(B)
the raising of my hands as the evening offering.(C)
3 Lord, set up a guard for my mouth;
keep watch at the door of my lips.(D)
4 Do not let my heart turn to any evil thing
or perform wicked acts with evildoers.
Do not let me feast on their delicacies.(E)
5 Let the righteous one strike me—
it is an act of faithful love;
let him rebuke me—
it is oil for my head;
let me[a] not refuse it.(F)
Even now my prayer is against
the evil acts of the wicked.[b](G)
6 When their rulers[c] will be thrown off
the sides of a cliff,
the people[d] will listen to my words,
for they are pleasing.(H)
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